The Palatka daily news. (Palatka, Fla.) 1884-1888, 1887-06-01

The system adopted at the Folsom
state prison, one of the penirentiaries of
California, possesses features that should
attract the attention of those who are
interested, and every one is, in the refor
nation of criminals.
The theory upon which this prison is
conducted is that idleness and physical
degeneracy, caused by want of fixed hab-
its, Is the cause of crime, and the princi-
pie upon which the institution is run is
to restore the health, impress. by the
cOnvict's own volition. the necessity of
obeying the laws, and having a regular
occupation.
When a prisoner first arrives he is re-
quired to battle. adopt the prison uniform,
and is instructed in the rules He eats
at what is called the first table, and is
not permitted outside the prison build
ing Prison fare, though sufficient is
not inviting.
The prisoner soon finds out that other
inmates are getting much better food
than he receives. and upon inquiry learns
that these are men who voluntarily work
and receive those extra because of that.
Nearly every prisoneraIpon the receipt of
this information expresses a desire To
work and is permitted tosdo so.
Having expressed the desire and gone
to work the prisoner lR9s a great differ
ence in the fare furnish him. He now
receives three good meals per day, well
served, and comes To itswith an appetite
sharpened by labor- Almost all the
work at this prison is in the open air.
As rule the prisoner, at the beginning.
cannot do much work, but he acquires
the habit, knowing that should he fail
he will return TO the first fare. he en-
deavors to live up to the rules and do the
required amount of work.
As the muscles harden and no inn
proves in skill he feels differently, looks
differently, acts differently. and thinks
differently, and finally establishes him
self as fixture at the second table.
But he finds that he has not yet at
tanned the best that can be had in the
prison; that there is another table where
still better food and more abundant is
served. This stimulates him to do still
better work. that he may reach the class
entitled to this excellent fare. If upon
close watch and careful scrutiny of
mans work it is found that he is en-
titled, he is placed there on probation
and receives the fare given at the third
table, which Is, for breakfast, mutton
chops or beefsteak, potatoes, stewed
beans, five days in the week: corn bread,
two days, hot rolls, syrup and coffee; for
dinner, two days in the week,
soup of barley, macaroni, beans,
or OF rice ana vegetable. TWO
days, roast beef; one day. corn
beef and cabbage; four days, roast NUT
ton; two days, boiled rice; one day,
sourkrout; two days, salad; bread. pota-
toes, beans, bread, pudding, and tea
daily; for supper, four days, mutton
chops, beefsteak; two days, mutton or
beesteak and hash; three days, cake;
three days cracked wheat and oat meal;
one day, stwed apples and stewed prunes:
bread, potatoes, beans, syrup, and tea
daily.
The prisoner once having arrived to the
dignity of the third table hardly ever
relapses, and arriving there he has ac-
quired two things that he did not have,
and that were probably the cause of his
having been sent to the prison: that Is
the habit of Obeying the law, for in that
respect the prison rules are intlexibie,
and that habit of continued labor.
The prisoner, when the time for his dis
charge comes, has learned that by the
obedience to law and by labor he can
provide himself with the best of food.
and the probabilities are better, thus
earned by his honest labor i'm prison,
than he ever secured by dishonest prac-
tees outside of prison. This is the best
system of reformation that can possibly
be used. If man leaves the prison
with the idea that obedience to law and
labor combined will secure him the COM
forts of life he will probably commit no
more crimes.